Employer-Paid

In Pennsylvania, the workers compensation rate is scheduled to drop by 4 percent as of April 1, says Mike Consedine, insurance commissioner for the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance.

The Maine Small Business Coalition has released a report that shows 39 percent of the state's small-business owners are older than 55 and increasingly reliant on social programs such as social security and Medicare.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder said a right-to-work law that took effect Thursday is a milestone that will bring jobs to Michigan, while protesters promised to exact revenge at the polls for the contentious measure Snyder signed in December.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits jumped by 16,000 last week, the second straight weekly increase. But the longer-term trend in layoffs remained consistent with an improved job market.

Mississippi's unemployment rose again in February, but that bad sign was contradicted by a strong rise in the number of jobs on employer payrolls.

A bill that would make it more difficult for recently unemployed people in Arizona to collect unemployment benefits is likely to land on Republican Gov. Jan Brewer's desk.